While it may take a week or two to gather information and study the full impact of last Saturday's USA Pro Challenge, local officials and residents generally believe it went well despite crowds that were much smaller than anticipated.

"For a first time event, I thought it went off very well," said Estes Park Assistant Town Administrator Lowell Richardson. "There was a lot of support (locally). Everyone who went downtown had a great time.

"The (crowd) numbers were down but it was our first year. If it comes back, we'll do things differently."

Estes Park Mayor Bill Pinkham had a similar view of the race and other events held that day.

"I think my impressions were that everybody downtown had a fantastic time," Pinkham said. "Unfortunately, we did not get the number of folks we expected. From what I hear, it was the same in Fort Collins and Loveland. They had less than they expected, too. The crowds were just not as big.

"I know it was a disappointment to our retail community. I talked with (Fort Collins Mayor) Karen Weitkunat and the Fort Collins retail community had a similar reaction."

Pinkham said parking in downtown was a problem, too.

"We had a lot of activity downtown and parking was constrained," Pinkham said. "I'm guessing that we could have done a better job."

Visit Estes Park officials said the exposure of Estes Park because of the race shouldn't be downplayed.

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"The biggest positive for us was the international media coverage," said Brooke Burnham, the director of communications and public relations for Visit Estes Park. "The announcers said Estes Park looked like the Alps. That's an important message. What an amazing compliment. It was such an opportunity to be seen at that level."

Despite that, Burnham, like others, said things can be done better if the race returns.

"When you host an event like this for the first time, it's a learning event," Burnham said. "There's room for improvement."

Burnham said one area for improvement would be attracting larger crowds. To do that, though, might require changing the race.

"We did a phenomenal job for a first time event, but if they bring the race back in the future, it would be ideal to be the start or finish town. It's nice to be on the international stage but we will have more crowds if we host. The start/finish is where the media attention is."

Richardson and Pinkham said all the communities involved in hosting the stage race (Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and Estes Park) will meet soon to discuss the race and what they can do in the future to make it more successful in their communities and overall.

While officials plan to digest and study the event in more detail, public reaction to the race has been mostly positive. A number of residents sounded off on the Town of Estes Park Facebook page.

"Thanks to the Town of Estes Park for bringing this event to our community. It was AWESOME! The shuttle service helped me get all around town with no problems," said Barbara Ayers.

"It was so fun. Big wheel races were awesome. Let's really embrace the masses next year," said Shannon Faith.